There were thrills and spills throughout this past midweek, and the full potential allocation of lower-league slots for the last-eight was ultimately used up. Five of this year’s County Antrim Shield quarter-finalists hail from a lower division than the Premiership, with Bangor joining bitter rivals Ards, Dundela, Knockbreda and Ballymacash Rangers in making up the quintet of Championship and PIL representatives bidding to upset the odds and go deep into this year’s tournament.
The draw, due to be made this Saturday at 5pm, could see the Seasiders afforded another golden nugget and a shot at the semi-finals. Equally, it could pit them up against a Premiership juggernaut – Larne and Glentoran remain firmly alive, while Carrick Rangers are no slouches either. However things pan out, though, this side’s comeback on Tuesday put their nerves of steel on full display, proving that the heat of the pressure cooker is not enough to overwhelm should a big boy come calling in the next phase.
When the weather is sweet and the air is nice, it really is when domestic football takes its chance to shine.
Early September has brought about a warm climate befitting of summer months that have come and gone, attracting people out of their homes to explore the ongoings of the world around them.
How convenient for them, then, that there was midweek football to savour.
As such, Clandeboye Park was bustling.
With knock-out stakes at play, Bangor entertained Ballyclare Comrades in the first cup-related diversion from the Playr-Fit Championship this term.
The latest iteration of the County Antrim Shield was getting under way, with 16 teams vying for a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition that Larne have emerged victorious in for three seasons straight.
And, given how the First Round draw panned out, there was an added incentive for lower-league teams to progress. With six of the seven Premiership sides tied together, a guarantee was laid before a ball had even been kicked that at least half of the last-eight would be made up of clubs from the Championship and/or Premier Intermediate League.
Lee Feeney’s squad selection reflected the feeling that a cup run could be on the agenda, as he put out his big guns.
Starting team:
There were three changes in the Bangor side that secured a last-gasp draw with Institute on Saturday, with Dylan O’Kane, Seanna Foster and Adam Neale all entering the fray in place of Jack Henderson, Sean Brown and Scott McArthur. Image from myself.
Adam Neale returned to the starting team following consecutive features from the bench against Institute and Portadown, deployed alongside Ben Arthurs as a traditional pair up top while Ben Cushnie was re-adjusted and slotted in behind them; Scott McArthur dropped to the bench.
In midfield, Dylan O’Kane entered for his first start of the season in the place of early mainstay Jack Henderson, as Seanna Foster did likewise from right wing-back to replace Sean Brown, who is in Italy with Northern Ireland’s Under-19s.
Substitutes:
The substitutes’ panel featured two players from the Under-20s in Sam Millar and Adam Ambrose. Millar, who debuted at the tail end of last season against Tobermore, was in his second senior squad of the season, while Ambrose made his first such panel on Tuesday night. Image from myself.
Meanwhile, as part of the choice of substitutes, two teenagers – Sam Millar and Adam Ambrose – were included and offered a chance to sample the occasion; in Ambrose’s case, a senior debut may well have been on the horizon for a talented player capable of playing a variety of different roles when required having been a regular starter in Davy Downes’ Under-20s.
Led into the fray by established referee Shane Andrews, the players and fans on both sides entered with a sense of determination.
There was a fuel to the fire. Of that, there could be no doubt.
A minute’s reflection was paid in memory of Ballyclare skipper Gary Donnelly’s grandfather, whose loss all at Bangor were saddened to learn of, in advance of kick-off that night.
Thereafter, Adam Neale set the ball rolling and the battle had commenced.
Following the draw with Stute, equalising hero Lewis Francis had referred to the need of “starting from the start” going forward in order to obtain positive results going forward and continue the feelgood factor of the second-tier.
Well, three days later, Ballyclare were ahead in the time it will have taken you to read that paragraph!
Barely 20 seconds were on the clock when a slight error was pounced upon by a familiar foe. A piece of link-up between Ben Walker and Reece Neale on the left side was intercepted and the Comrades pounced at double-quick notice.
Following that, the ball was slipped into Darius Roohi – scorer of a devastating double four and a half weeks prior at Dixon Park – who picked out the bottom right and rifled beyond James Taylor to hand the visitors the earliest of leads.
The pure finishing instincts of Roohi are a known quantity among the second-tier, as slick a striker as they come and a talent who will run the mile when afforded but an inch. His 18 finishes in last term’s Championship single him out instantly as one with a penchant for doing damage – and he was threatening to lay down the gauntlet when, with only a further four minutes played, he notched up a second.
Football is so often a game of fine margins. In between, it was almost a stunning equaliser; Cushnie agonisingly curled a beauty off the bar with teenage stopper Billy McDowell beaten.
Woodwork strike:
In between the quickfire two-goal lead that Ballyclare built up early at Clandeboye Park, Ben Cushnie let fly with a curler from 20 yards that he was unfortunate to see crash back of the upright. The Glentoran loanee frequently sought to cause trouble in dangerous areas, and has looked bright to start life at Bangor as he builds towards his first competitive goal of the season. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Just before the 300-second mark, Taylor was beaten too. And the net bustled to go with it.
Caomhán McGuinness was the architect this time. The right-back forged behind the Bangor backline, carrying forward and leading the counter.
He picked just the correct moment to cut the ball back into the box as the Seasiders hurried back to allay the danger – but to no avail. Again, Roohi controlled a low supply and again, he spun to slot low into the bottom right beyond Taylor’s dive.
Woe betide. Two down inside five minutes.
Devastating double:
Early during the match-up on Tuesday, Darius Roohi inflicted a killer touch on Bangor having hit a brace inside five minutes at Clandeboye Park; his second in as many appearances having also found the net once in each half against the Seasiders in a match-winning 3-2 Dixon Park outing. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Things threatened to get worse before they got better as on 11 minutes, it really should have been three.
Former Glenavon goalkeeper Taylor sent hearts firmly in mouths after contriving to pick out Callum Ferris rather than one of his team-mates from a short pass; the one-time Dollingstown striker was one-on-one and should have punished the 39-year-old for his error, but he placed crucially wide of the left upright.
The odds were stacked on Ferris finding the net and killing the matter stone dead when it had barely begun. Surely, a three-goal initiative would have been an unassailable one.
On 15 minutes, Arthurs showed him how it’s done.
A loose headed backpass fell invitingly for the Kircubbin man, who had timed his movement to perfection from between two Ballyclare defenders. His finish was low and first-time, one where placement usurped power and a sense of calm was applied to weather the storm.
McDowell aimed to meet him at his feet, but there was no fazing a frontman who netted 31 times last campaign. The ice-cold veins of Arthurs were on show, and he pierced low into the bottom right at a crucial stage.
From there, Bangor began to work an inroad back into the encounter. The very next chance saw Cushnie’s cushioned volley sail over the upright, while on 24 minutes, Arthurs had the ball in the net from Reece Neale’s outswinging free-kick – but the linesman’s flag cut short celebrations, an offside ruled against the striker.
The reprieve only lasted a minute.
Following a well-worked sequence of interplay that saw possession funnelled out to the left flank, where an advanced Ben Walker lay in wait.
Player spotlight:
While proceedings did not get off to the most auspicious of starts for Ben Walker, the Larne loanee quickly gathered himself and responded with an impressive shift on both sides of the ball. His cross to tee up Ben Arthurs for his second of the night was a delightful one, and he was able to control his battles too. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
The Larne loanee trapped the ball under his spell by the left-hand byline, and his wand of a left foot produced a divine cross aimed in the direction of Arthurs.
Step forth the marksman to power a header goal-bound, and despite McDowell’s palms tipping onto the underside of the crossbar, he was unable to stop the ball from trickling across the goalline for a satisfying leveller.
Predatory instincts:
In the rush to finish up, there was to be no waning of Adam Neale‘s goal-getting instincts as he looked to prod the ball over the goalline, although the official ruling was that the ball had already crossed the line following Ben Arthurs’ initial header that Ballyclare stopper Billy McDowell tipped onto the bar. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
While Adam Neale prodded over, the ball had already passed the white marker when the Ballynahinch sharp-shooter touched home – therefore, it was to count as Arthurs’ strike.
There was no relent. On the stroke of the half-hour, Lewis Harrison curled straight into the gloves of McDowell from around 25 yards out, while a near-identical chance to the captain by Arthurs once more resulted in a routine gather.
Six minutes from the half’s end, the frame of the goal was again rattled – O’Kane whipped in a delectable flag-kick from the left that, were it not for the touch of a Ballyclare counterpart at the back stick, had appeared to be heading straight in.
Instead, an ‘olympia’ was denied – as was an eager David Hume – and the right-hand post cracked as oohs and aahs filled the air.
Andrews blew up to signal the end of a breathless first period.
A first period that had started so terribly had a much more upbeat feeling for Feeney and his players. His opposite number, Stephen Small, was toasting the fast beginning, but now felt in the mood to issue a rally cry to inspire a reassertion of their quality.
It was not to come in the form of a change in personnel. Both sides strutted out unchanged – but Bangor picked up where they left off.
Eight minutes following the restart, the comeback was decisively complete. And Arthurs had his match ball.
The build-up was, again, intricate to a tee; a sublime give-and-go between Harrison and Seanna Foster unleashed the Cliftonville loanee towards the byline, and the 26-year-old – making his first start since his second successive stint on the seaside was confirmed – didn’t need any second invitation to whip the ball in.
Player spotlight:
Contributing firmly to a dramatic victory on Tuesday night, two set-ups in as many games for Seanna Foster indicate he has wasted no time in getting down to business. Both superb crosses that assisted powerful headers, the Belfast man’s value could never be placed in doubt. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
His first-time ball found Arthurs six yards from goal. He used his head to pierce home before taking in the immense adulation of the supporters; suddenly, the Seasiders were the hunters rather than the hunted.
But if Ballyclare were on the back foot, they still fought like a pack of wolves for an equaliser.
Step forth Foster’s instincts at the other end.
A ball was supplied from a left-sided corner by the east Antrim battalion, and the veteran Howard Beverland towered above all around him to power a header towards the bottom left.
Highly esteemed for his service as a Hatchetman, the former Crusaders favourite had the right wing-back in his wake; divides never die, and a Solitude representative was the difference-maker when he hacked off the line.
Player spotlight:
This felt like a classic endeavour by Lewis Harrison. Not always in the spotlight, but the tenacious midfielder is all-action and went about his duties with confidence and self-belief in abundance. The captain was a force both on the ball-winning and distribution ends and made sure things kept ticking over in midfield. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
A close escape that reinforced the nature of the beast. Despite the Seasiders having sealed their comeback, complacency could not seep in.
Not now.
Before and after that flashpoint were home chances. On 57 minutes, Ballyclare were forced into hooking the ball onto the top of the net, while with 65 gone, Arthurs clipped the outside of the post after pipping McDowell to the punch from local lad Walker’s dime of a delivery.
The fourth goal felt necessary to allay nerves, given there was sufficient time indeed for the chances to flow at either end.
On 74 minutes, that fourth goal arrived.
It was Arthurs again. It was another header – this one of the diving variant. It was another unerringly ruthless show of strength that perhaps had not been as prevalent in early weeks.
A loose Ballyclare ball out of the defensive third was scooped up by Harrison, the all-action midfielder in no mood to let the intensity drop. From there, a speedy link-up saw a wider Adam Neale come to the fore, swooping in another inch-perfect piece of service that the new goalscoring Seagull supreme this term plundered home.
Less than an hour of game time from the first to the last. If the flame was flickering up until now, the inferno was raging and could not be quelled.
The fourth goal arrived. Ben Arthurs had arrived.
What followed was a mission of game management. The final 15 minutes of the battle was – from the yellow and blue persuasion, at least – mercifully tame; only a McGuinness side-foot over the crossbar following a free-kick sequence, which was within range that it would have hauled the Comrades to within one and set up a sufficiently grandstand finish, went down as a shot of note during the denouement.
Debut delight:
It was an unforgettable moment for Adam Ambrose, whose impressive displays for the Reserves earned him a call from Lee Feeney and an opportunity to shine for the first-team on Tuesday night. Having filled in at centre-back, striker and on the wing under David Downes, his versatility is a major asset in the teenager’s game. Image from Sarah Harkness.
It was a good time to introduce Ambrose to the fold, too. The 19-year-old, who put in a sterling account as part of a midfield pair for the Reserves during a 6-0 victory over Ballymacash Rangers last weekend, replaced O’Kane to do the same alongside Henderson here.
A tidy seven-minute spell, it must be said, that the locally-bred teen produced in seeing out the contest.
When Andrews signalled time, a grand cheer came accompanying from the home stand.
When the going got tough, the tough got going. And the reward for such perseverance is a quarter-final place in this 135-year-old showpiece.
| County Antrim Shield | Round One (5-6/9/23) | ||
| Ards (2) | 2 | 1 | Queen’s University (3) |
| Ballymena United (1) | 3 | 4 | Knockbreda (2) |
| Bangor (2) | 4 | 2 | Ballyclare Comrades (2) |
| Carrick Rangers (1) | 3 | 2 | Cliftonville (1) |
| Crusaders (1) | 0 | 0* | Glentoran (1) |
| Dundela (2) | 3 | 0 | Newington (2) |
| Harland and Wolff Welders (2) | 1 | 1** | Ballymacash Rangers (3) |
| Linfield (1) | 0 | 1 | Larne (1) |
The draw always presented those who took it with both hands with a shot at going deep into the tournament.
As it happens, no fewer than five lower-league sides will have made the last-eight cut; Ards, Dundela, Knockbreda and Ballymacash Rangers join four-in-a-row-chasing Larne, Glentoran and Carrick Rangers as the trio of Premiership big-hitters who are there to be shot at.
Depending on the permutations of the Round Two selection, Bangor could be licking their lips and staring a straight semi-final route in their faces.
Featured image from Sarah Harkness.
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